William Conway and the Conway celebration at Camden, Maine

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ILLIAMCONWAY

AND THE CONWAY CELE
BRATION AT CAMDEN, ME.
AUGUST THE THIRTIETH
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SIX **♦

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William Conway

AND

The Conway Celebration

AT CAMDEN, MAINE
AUGUST 30, 1906

PORTLAND, MAINE

LEFAVOR-TOWER COMPANY

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These monuments of manhood, brave and high,
Do more than forts or battleships to keep

Our dear-bought liberty . They fortify

The heart of youth with valor wise ayid deep ;

They build eternal bulwarks, and command

Eternal strength to guard our native land.

— Henry Van Dyke.

WILLIAM CONWAY,
A FORGOTTEN CAMDEN HERO.

By Acting Master John O. Johnson.

WILLIAM CONWAY

FROM A SKETCH FROM LIFE BY
WILLIAM WAUO.

Copyright 1887, by
The Century Co.

THIS is the story, long forgotten, of the
first patriot of the War of the Rebellion,
and of the first surrender of the forces of
the United States Navy to the rebels. I
have reference to the disgraceful surrender
of the United States Navy Yard, at War-
rington, near Pensacola, Fla., January 12,
1 86 1, which was wholly brought about by
the traitorous acts of officers holding com-
missions in and wearing the uniform of the
United States Navy. It is a long and
interesting story of which very little is
known. I do not intend, however, to give
it in detail — simply enough to establish the record of a patriot.
As often happens he was a man from Maine, and he was but a
bluejacket.

The officers of the yard at that time were as follows : Com-
mandant Captain James Armstrong, an old man who had served
in the navy for more than fifty years ; he was a midshipman in
the War of 18 12, and had recently been invalided home from the
command of the squadron in India with chronic diarrhoea, from
which he was a great sufferer. When he was ordered to that
station from his home in Boston, he protested against it, saying
that he was too old, and too feeble to be ordered to that climate.
But his protest was without avail. He went, leaving his family
at home, with the hope that within a few months at most he
would again be ordered North. His only associates were the

officers of the yard. The two officers who were nearest to him
in rank and position, and the ones looked to for advice and coun-
sel, were traitors to their country, though officers in the United
States Navy, and both of them were from the North,

The executive officer of the yard held the rank of commander.
His name was Ebenezer Farrand, and he belonged to New
Jersey. The next in rank was Lieutenant F. B. Renshaw, from
Pennsylvania. These two were brothers-in-law, both their wives
being southern women, both traitors in disguise, and both doing
their utmost to deceive the old commandant in every possible
way, to the end that the yard should be surrendered to the rebels
of Florida : for be it remembered that the Confederate States
had not yet been formed. Farrand, the executive officer, stood
naturally nearer to the commandant than did any other person.
He was intended to be the right arm of the commandant, and
being a man of northern birth. Captain Armstrong could not
bring himself to believe that an officer so circumstanced was
doing all he could to blind his eyes and to lead him astray as to
the real condition of affairs. But that officer was covertly play-
ing into the hands of the secessionists every moment of the time.

A few days before the surrender of the yard, the gunboat
"Wyandotte," Lieutenant-Commander O. H. Berryman, arrived
at the yard from Key West, and the store-ship " Supply," Com-
mander Henry Walke, also arrived with stores from New York.
Neither of these vessels amounted to much for offensive pur-
poses, but they could have defended the yard against all offend-
ers had they been ordered to do so. The " Supply " was on her
way to Vera Cruz, but had called at Pensacola to land supplies.
These were the only vessels there, and they had not been in
port twenty-four hours before Commanders Walke and Berry-
man, as well as their officers, began to distrust the loyalty of
the officers of the yard, especially Farrand, and his aid and
brother-in-law Renshaw. They saw but too plainly how com-
pletely the venerable and perplexed commandant was in the
hands of the traitors by whom he was surrounded, and among
whom the northerners were the vilest of all.

There were three forts in the vicinity of the navy yard, namely
Forts McRee, Barrancas and Pickens, which that rebel sympa-
thizer. Secretary of War Floyd, had prevented being reinforced.
But on January 3, 1861, the headquarters of the army at Wash-
ington had awakened from the lethargy that Secretary Floyd
had purposely put upon it long enough to send an order to
Lieutenant A. J. Slemmer of the army, who was commander of
the three forts, to take measures to prevent either of the forts in
Pensacola harbor from seizure by surprise or assault, consulting
first the commandant of the navy yard, who would probably
have instructions to co-operate with him. This order reached
Lieutenant Slemmer January 9, but he knew very well that he
would be unable to hold the three forts with but forty-six men,
all the force he had. He decided to abandon Forts McRee and
Barrancas, which were on the main land, and occupy Fort
Pickens which was on Santa Rosa Island, at the mouth of Pen-
sacola harbor, if it was possible for him to do so. What could
be thought of the loyalty and intelligence of the headquarters at
Washington which at the eleventh hour could dictate such an
order !

Calling on the commandant of the navy yard immediately,
Lieutenant Slemmer found that that officer was in receipt of
orders from the Navy Department to co-operate with him in his
measures of defence, and he received from him ( Armstrong )
the assurance of assistance in every way, including the services
of the " Supply" and the "Wyandotte." The commandant said
that he did not think that he could hold the navy yard if
attacked, but promised to have Slemmer and his command,
together with supplies and ammunition, taken over to Fort
Pickens' at one-thirty P. M. on that day, January 9.

But no sooner had Lieutenant Slemmer left the office than
the treacherous Farrand slipped in, and so worked upon the
mind of the old man that he failed to keep faith with Slemmer.
Farrand made Armstrong believe that it would be an outrage,
a crime, to co-operate with this young army lieutenant, and so
provoke a bloody conflict with the Florida state troops that

would hand down his name in perpetual execration everywhere
throughout the country. In this strait, Lieutenant Slemmer
again visited the commandant and remonstrated with him for his
failure to keep his promise. Finally, in the presence of Farrand,
Berryman and Renshaw, Captain Armstrong gave orders for the
"Wyandotte" to be at the wharf at Barrancas at four o'clock
P. M., on that day in readiness to transport the garrison to Fort
Pickens.

Nevertheless the " Wyandotte " did not move that day. Far-
rand had evidently gotten in his dastardly work again. His
game was delay. He was in constant communication with the
rebels at Pensacola, but nine miles away. He knew that within
forty-eight hours they would demand the surrender of the navy
yard, and he hoped the way to occupy Fort Pickens would be
opened also. At eight o'clock the next morning, which was the
tenth. Lieutenant John Irwin of the " Wyandotte " went to Fort
Barrancas with a big scow, which the army folks at once loaded
with provisions and ammunition, brought together all the other
boats they could collect, without orders from the commandant, and
towed them all across the harbor to Fort Pickens ; Lieutenant-
Commander Berryman also transferred from his ship to the fort
thirty ordinary seamen and thirty stand of arms. At this time
the old captain, under the malign influence that he could not
escape, and distracted by the complications surrounding him,
began to give such erratic and contradictory orders that Com-
mander Walke of the " Supply" and Lieutenant-Commander
Berryman of the "Wyandotte" made up their minds that their
principal business was to co-operate with Lieutenant Slemmer
of the army in making Fort Pickens secure from the attack of
the rebels.

On the day of the occupation of Fort Pickens, Lieutenant
Erben, of the ''Supply," now Rear-Admiral Erben (retired),
went down to Fort McRee with a boat's crew from the " Sup-
ply," and threw into the sea all the powder stored there, to
prevent its falling into the hands of the rebels. Twenty-two
thousand pounds were thus destroyed. When he returned from

8

that duty Lieutenant Erben went on shore in the evening,
called at the commandant's house and reported what he had
done, and as the navy yard was being threatened by the rebel
troops at Pensacola, volunteered to destroy the ammunition in
the naval magazine located a short distance outside the navy
yard.

Captain Armstrong sent for Farrand, to advise with him in
relation to the matter. That officer immediately advised the
arrest of Erben and sending him on board ship, asserting that
he ( Erben ) was drunk. But this the commandant refused to
do. At this Farrand rose up in great rage, and throwing a
chair at Erben's head, left the room in great abruptness. Erben
remained for a short time, talking with the commandant, and,
bidding him good night, departed. The moment he got outside
the front door Farrand, who had been lying in wait for him on
the piazza, stepped up to him and shaking his fist in his face
exclaimed :

" D you, I will teach you how to treat your superior

officers."

He was so violent that Erben caught him by the throat,
saying :

" D you, I will have you hanged as a traitor, as you are."

They rolled off the piazza in their struggle, and Erben land-
ing uppermost, Farrand began to shout for assistance. At this
Renshaw, who had been in hiding in the shrubbery, came to
Farrand's assistance. But Assistant Surgeon W. A. King, of
the " Supply," who had come on shore with Erben, came up on
Erben's side, and the two traitors, seeing a row very imminent
in which they were likely to come out second, ran off to the
other quarters, telling the officers' -wives that Erben intended to
blow them all up,

Farrand's whole conduct had been so unmistakably disloyal,
that Erben and the other loyal officers of the navy had deter-
mined to seize him at the first opportunity and carry him on
board ship. Lieutenant Berry man said that he would receive
him on board the " Wyandotte," and if necessary put him in

the coal bunkers for safe keeping. But Farrand was too wary.
He felt that he was suspected and obnoxious to the ofificers and
men on board the ships, and that the best measure of personal
safety for him was to keep away from the water front. He
could not be induced to approach the wharf on any matter of
duty whatsoever. Had he ventured there, he was sure to have
been seized, and he seemed to have had such a presentiment.
He carried things with a high hand at the upper end of the
yard with the distracted old commandant ; but when he looked
in the direction of the wharf, and saw the old flag under which
he had been educated, his conscience made him a coward.

•' He made a narrow escape," says Erben ; "for had he been
captured he would never have got on shore again." And Lieu-
tenant Erben goes on to say that whatever orders Captain Arm-
strong gave for the protection of the yard, Farrand without his
knowledge would countermand. Farrand knew the very hour
that Victor M. Randolph would present his rebel forces at the
gate of the navy yard, and was there to receive and welcome
him, dressed in the full uniform of a United States naval officer ;
while Captain Armstrong was kept in entire ignorance of the
whole affair and did not know that the rebels were approaching
till they were reported at the gate, and the two commissioners
selected by the governor of Florida were conducted to him by
Farrand. All the details of the surrender were conducted by
Farrand, even to the punishing of the faithful old quartermaster
for refusing to haul down the flag in surrender when ordered to
do so by the traitor Renshaw.

This faithful old seaman was William Conway, of Camden,
Me. He had obeyed the order to stand by the halliards, but
when ordered to haul down the flag in capitulation he said : "I
will not do it, sir ! That is the flag of my country under which
I have served many years. I love it ; and will not dishonor it
by hauling it down now."

Renshaw had to do the traitorous work with his own hands,
and then he and Farrand set about punishing the old quarter-
master by putting him in irons for his fidelity to the old flag,

lO

which they had dishonored while holding the commission of an
officer in the United States Navy ; for Farrand resigned on the
sixteenth and Renshaw on the twenty-first, after they had surren-
dered the yard on the twelfth. Their resignations were accepted
by the Secretary of the Navy, when they should have been dis-
missed with dishonor and hung when caught. Erben says that
the yard easily could have been defended, had the " Supply "
and " Wyandotte " been ordered up to protect the approach to
the yard, which was a road that ran for a half mile along the
beach. As it was, the feeble old commandant was so hood-
winked and muddled by his traitorous officers, that he surren-
dered to a rabble of about four hundred Florida and Alabama
troops. The two ships in the offing hoisted all the flags they
had in defiance of the disgraceful surrender.

In the surrendering of this navy yard, we have the very sin-
gular and striking circumstance of a captain in the United
States Navy acting as a commissioner, appointed by the gov-
ernor of Florida, to receive the surrender of the property of the
United States in the name of the State of Florida, a territory
the United States had purchased from Spain but forty-two
years before, and had spent millions for the protection of its
people in the war with the Indians, known as the Florida War.
The two commissioners appointed by the governor of Florida to
receive the surrender of the navy yard were Colonel W. H. Chase,
of the Florida state militia, and Captain Victor M. Randolph, of
the United States Navy. Florida passed the ordinance of
secession January lo, 1861. On that day Randolph sent in his
resignation as a captain in the United States Navy, and on the
same day was appointed a commissioner by the governor of the
seceded State. But his resignation papers did not reach Wash-
ington till after the surrender of the yard.

A court martial was held at Washington on the conduct of
Captain Armstrong in relation to his surrender of the Warring-
ton Navy Yard, near Pensacola, Fla., on the following charges :

I St. Failing to take the ordinary and proper measures for
the defence of said yard and property.

1 1

2d. Disobedience of orders and conduct unbecoming an
officer.

This court convened at Washington, February 8, 1861, and
consisted of the following officers : Captain George W. Storer,
president ; Captain Elie A. F. Lavallette and Captain Levin M.
Powell. After a long session, Captain Armstrong was found
guilty on both charges and was suspended for five years, half
that time without pay.

It was during this trial that the noble conduct of the old
quartermaster was brought to the front, and the following report
n relation thereto was sent to the Secretary of the Navy :

Washington, D. C, April 3, 1861.
The president and members and judge advocate of the court lately held
in the City of Washington, D. C, for the trial of Commodore Armstrong,'
beg leave respectfully to submit to the Honorable Secretary of the Navy,
the propriety, justice and good policy of bestowing some appropriate mark
of its approbation of the loyalty, spirit and good conduct of William Con-
way, quartermaster of the navy on duty at the navy yard at Warrington,
Fla., when the same was surrendered on the twelfth of January, 1861 ; who
with manly pride and in a spirit of patriotic devotion refused to obey the
order to haul down the national flag on the occasion of that surrender. The
evidence of this honorable devotion to the dignity and credit of the flag of
his country is found in the record of the testimony in Commodore Arm-
strong's case. Respectfully submitted by order of court.

A. B. Magruder, Judge Advocate.

To this report Secretary Welles added these words :

It appears from the testimony taken in Captain Armstrong's case that
William Conway, an aged seaman, doing duty as quartermaster in the War-
rington (Pensacola) Navy Yard at the time of its surrender, when ordered
by Lieutenant Renshaw to haul down the national flag, promptly and indig-
nantly refused to obey the order. The love and reverence thus impulsively
exhibited for his country's flag in the hour of its peril is not the less worthy
of being called noble and chivalric because displayed by one in an humble
station. It is the more deserving of commendation, for subordinates in the
service are not usually expected to set examples of patriotism and fidelity to
their trusts, but to follow them. The department deems it no more than
strict justice to William Conway that this testimonial from the court in his

1 He is elsewhere in the papers referred to as " Captain Armstrong," and January 12, 1861,
he signed the letter to the Secretary of the Navy announcing the surrender, " James Arm-
strong, Captain United States Navy."

12

behalf should be made known throughout the service. It therefore directs
that this general order be publicly read, as early as practicable after its
receipt, by the commander of all naval stations and all vessels in the navy in
commission in the presence of the officers and men under their command.

The following is the order of Secretary Welles to Flag
Officer McKeen, United States Navy, commanding Gulf
Blockading Squadron, for the transmission of a gold medal
to Quartermaster Conway, and other communications relative
thereto are added :

Navy Department, November ii, 1861.

Sir: — I herewith transmit a letter from the department to William Conway,
who is on board one of the vessels of your squadron, together with a gold
medal presented to him by his countrymen in California, as a testimonial of
their appreciation of his conduct in refusing to haul down the flag of his
country at the surrender, at Pensacola, to the rebels, on January 12, 1861.

A copy of the letter addressed to William Conway by the citizens who
presented the medal, and of the letter of Major-General Halleck, the bearer
of it to the department, is also submitted.

You will please to have the medal handed to William Conway on the
quarter-deck of the vessel to which he belongs, in the presence of the officers
and crew thereof, and the correspondence read at the same time. I am,
respectfully, your obedient servant,

Gideon Welles.

Navy Department, November 11, 1861.
Sir : — It 'gives me great pleasure to cause to be delivered to you the
accompanying letter and gold medal from your countrymen in California,
presented to you as a testimonial of their high appreciation of your noble
and patriotic conduct in refusing to haul down the flag of your country while
others (your superiors in position) were wanting in fidelity to it. I also for-
ward a copy of the letter of Major-General Halleck, who was selected as the
bearer of these testimonials, and by his request I have directed them to be
transmitted to you — which you will please to accept with the assurance of
my regard. Very respectfully,

Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy.
William Conway,

United States Gulf Blockading Squadron.

Washington, D. C, November 6, 1861.

Sir : — I have received from certain citizens of California the accompanying

letter and medal, to be delivered to William Conway, quartermaster United

States Navy, as a mark of their appreciation of his noble conduct in refusing

to haul down the flag of his country ; but as I am unable to see Mr. Conway

13

personally, I respectfully request they may be transmitted to him by the
Navy Department. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. Halleck, Major-General United States Army.
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy.

San Francisco, September 20, 1861.
Dear Sir: — The undersigned citizens of California from New England
have read with pride and gratification the story of your brave and patriotic
refusal to haul down the flag of your country. As a mark of our appreciation
of your conduct, we request you to accept the accompanying medal of
California gold, together with our best wishes for your prosperity and hap-
piness. F. W. Brooks, Henry L. Dodge, F. A. Fabent, H. F. Cutter, W.
T. Reynolds, Henry F. Teschemascher, Geo. J. Brooks, Geo. H. Faulkner
(and 140 others).
William Conway,

Quartermaster United States Navy.

With such testimonials as these one would little think the
person receiving them would be almost entirely forgotten in the
lapse of forty-four years, but such indeed is the case. I well
remember Conway, though I had not seen him since before the
war. In 1858, when but a lad, I was first mate of the brig
"Tocoa," of Rockport, Me. Captain Thomas Fitzgerald was mas-
ter and the present Captain Ed. Harkness (if living) was second
mate. William Conway, then termed an old man-o'-war's-man,
was home on furlough, and having a sister living at Rockport
( I have forgotten her name ), he was staying with her. During
the three weeks that we were getting the vessel ready for sea we
saw much of Conway, as he spent a large portion of his time on
board with us. We had to take the vessel to Rockland to haul
out on the ways, and as we had no crew shipped, he volunteered
with others to help work the vessel round to that port. In this
manner I came to know him very well, so that when two and
one-half years later, he refused to haul down the flag by order
of the traitor Renshaw, I felt that I had more than a passing
interest in the Camden sailor, and was proud that I knew him.
During the time between the surrender of the navy yard at
Pensacola and the reading on board every ship in the service of
the general orders relative to his noble conduct, I had entered
the navy as a volunteer officer and was attached to the U. S.

14

bark " Midnight," stationed as by fate's decree off Fort Pickens,
in sight of the Pensacola Navy Yard, when this order reached
us. At the reading of the same, with all hands at muster, and
being the only officer from Maine, and in fact the only man on
board ship with the exception of one ordinary seaman, from this
state, I stretched to my utmost height and drank in patriotism
and courage from the reading that lasted me through the four
years that I served in the navy, helping me to make such a
record as did not, I hope, disgrace my country, my state or my
people.

Many years ago I learned through some source that Conway
was dead. How, when and where he died I did not learn, but
presumed that he died with his people at Camden and was buried
with his ancestors. Of late I have had a desire to visit his last
resting-place and to stand with bowed head beside his grave.
While on my way to the Waymouth celebration, held at Thom-
aston, in July, 1905, I stopped off at Camden for that purpose.
Judge of my disappointment, when I made inquiry for Conway
in his native town, to find that no one knew of or had ever heard
of him.

At last I inquired of an old friend. Comrade Henry Payson,
of Rockport, who had lived in the town for fifteen years and was
a member of the G. A. R. Post. He had never heard of William
Conway, but he made inquiry of an old gentleman named Ogier,
who remembered something in relation to Conway and his his-
tory. Mr. Payson informed me that there was a lady named
Conway living in Camden and kindly took me to her place.
She proved to be a niece, who told me that she and a cousin of
hers, Mrs. Louise E. Robbins, of Thomaston, were the only
living relatives of William Conway ; that she thought he died in
Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1865, and that he was buried in the naval
cemetery there, but she was not certain. She also informed me
that the gold medal was in the possession of the other niece,
Mrs. Robbins.

As I stood by the beautiful monument erected in a Camden
public square in honor of the country's defenders from that town,

15

I was chagrined to learn that Conway's name, though perhaps
•'the noblest Roman among them all," was not written there.
The thought occurred to me, why is this ? If this same William
Conway had been the commander of a ship in our navy, and had
been commanded by an enemy of superior force to haul down
the flag of his country as a token of surrender, and he had used
the self-same words that he used at Pensacola, viz : " I will not
do it, sir ; it is the flag of my country, under which I have sailed
for many years and I will not dishonor it now ! " his name would
have been sung in song and told in story down to the end of all
time and a monument erected to perpetuate his memory. But
being only a common sailor he died " unwept, unhonored and
unsung," his name not even a memory in his native town.

This should not be. The tide of oblivion should not be per-
mitted to set in that direction. In the language of Secretary
Welles : " The love and reverence thus impulsively exhibited for
his country's flag in the hour of its peril is not the less worthy
of being called noble and chivalric because displayed by one in
an humble station," and the following words from Kipling's
" Recessional " would seem to be fitting here :

God of our fathers, known of old, —

Lord of our far-flung battle line —
Beneath whose awful hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine —
Lord, God of Hosts, be with us yet, —
Lest we forget — lest we forget.

Far called our navies melt away.
On dune and headland sinks the fire —

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre !

Judge of our Nation, spare us yet.

Lest we forget — lest we forget.

I have said I was disappointed in learning that the name of
William Conway had been forgotten in his native town. But
on second thought it is not so surprising, for during the lapse of
forty-four years or more the population of the thriving town of
Camden has greatly changed, and it would be simply an impos-
sibility for those born since the Civil War to have any personal

i6

remembrance of him ; while with the older residents time has
naturally dimmed the memory. Moreover, all the official docu-
ments relating to Conway were deposited in the Navy Depart-
ment at Washington, where no outsider had access to them till
within the past ten years.

Happily in this time Congress had enacted a law for the pub-
lication of the records of the doings of the United States Navy
in the War of the Rebellion, and for their distribution through-
out the land in order to show to those, who care to know, what
the navy did. From one of these books, " The Official Records
of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebell-
ion," ^ I obtained my information relative to the Court of Enquiry
before which Captain Armstrong was brought, and also the
copies of the papers in relation to Quartermaster Conway which
I have already read. Otherwise Conway has been allowed to
sink out of sight ; for up to the time I dug his name out from
under the avalanche of forgetfulness, not one word had been
said or written in relation to him, as far as I can learn, except in a
very short and inaccurate sketch of the affair at Pensacola cov-
ering about one half-page in Abbott's " History of the War,"
and a few words in "The Battles and Leaders of the Civil
War," ^ in connection with a pencil sketch of Conway by William
Waud. From Rear-Admiral Joseph B. Coghlan, U. S. N., com-
mandant at the Navy Yard at Brooklyn, N. Y., I learned that
William Conway died at the naval hospital there November 30,
1865, while still in the service, and was buried in the naval cem-
etery at that place in a grave which cannot now be located.

When I read Admiral Coghlan' s letter I should not have been
more astounded had I been hit on the head with a hammer.
For that record shows that in less than five years after Conway
uttered those memorable words at Pensacola, refusing to dishonor
the flag of his country by lowering it at the demand of traitors,
and having died while still in the service of his country, at a
home port and in a time of peace, his body was dumped into an

1 Series i, Volume 4.
* Volume I, page 26.

17

unknown grave. For this almost criminal neglect I know not
whom to censure. But some one blundered.

Surely the name of this loyal American sailor should be res-
cued from oblivion. I believe his name is fully as worthy of
honor as is that of John Paul Jones, for while Conway was dis-
tinctively an American, Paul Jones claimed to be a citizen of the
world. In Conway we have a brave old American tar, who
shifted his quid of tobacco, gave the waistbands of his trousers
a hitch, and stood as firm as the rock of Gibraltar for one coun-
try and one flag. For this I think his name should be placed
on a pinnacle of fame, and what could be more fitting than to
have this honored organization, which bears the proud title of
the " Loyal Legion of the United States," take the first steps
toward the erection of a suitable memorial in his honor .? For
who is there among us who would not have been thrilled to his
fingers' ends could he have listened to the loyal words of that
loyal old American sailor, " I will not do it, sir ! It is the flag
of my country under which I have sailed for many years, and I
will not dishonor it by hauling it down now,"

i8

THE CONWAY CELEBRATION, CAMDEN,
AUGUST 30, 1906.

THE reading of the preceding paper at the meeting of the
Commandery, in Portland, December 6, 1905, awakened
very deep interest in the members of the Commandery and their
guests. This interest was intensified by the exhibition of the
beautiful gold medal which was presented to William Conway on
the deck of the U.S. frigate " Mississippi " not long after the
Pensacola incident. Conway's niece, Mrs. Louise E. Robbins,
of Thomaston, the present custodian of the Conway medal, had
placed it in the hands of Companion Acting Ensign Edward A.
Butler, of Rockland, for exhibition at the meeting. In the
remarks that followed the reading of the paper, reference was
made to Companion Johnson's suggestion concerning a memorial
in Conway's honor, and it was further suggested that this memo-
rial might take the form of a boulder, on which should be placed
a bronze tablet reciting in brief the story of Conway's fidelity
and patriotism ; but definite action was deferred in order to
secure time for maturer consideration.

Such further consideration was given to this suggestion at the
meeting of the Commandery, held in Portland on March 7, 1906,
and it was voted that if the town of Camden would provide a
suitable boulder, in a conspicuous position in the town, the Maine
Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the
United States would place on it a bronze tablet with an appro-
priate inscription. The town of Camden, at its annual meeting,
acceded to this proposal, and made an appropriation of $100.00
to defray the expenses connected with the placing of the boulder.

At a meeting of the Maine Commandery, held in Portland on
May 2, 1906, a like appropriation was made for the purpose of

19

securing a bronze tablet, and the officers of the Commandery
were made a committee to prepare a suitable inscription, and
also to take charge of all matters pertaining to the tablet ; while
with reference to the unveiling of the tablet the committee was
directed to act in connection with a similar committee represent-
ing the town of Camden.

Not long after, the Recorder of the Commandery visited Cam-
den, and held a conference with a large number of the citizens
of the town, who were called together for that purpose. Mat-
ters concerning the memorial and its unveiling were freely and
fully discussed, and at the close of the conference it was decided
on the part of the Camden members of the conference to call
another meeting of the town for the further consideration of
ways and means. At this town meeting, held during the follow-
ing week, an additional appropriation of ^500.00 was made for
the Conway celebration, and besides a general committee, com-
mittees were appointed on reception, entertainment and decora-
tion. It was understood that the arrangements for the services
connected with the unveiling of the memorial should be made
by the Loyal Legion.

An early communication was sent to Rear-Admiral R. D.
Evans, Commander-in-Chief of the North Atlantic Fleet, and to
this communication the following answer, dated U. S. Flagship
" Maine," North River, New York, May 26, 1906, was received :

I have received your letter of the 23d inst. regarding the dedication of a
memorial to William Conway, quartermaster United States Navy, at Cam-
den, Me. , sometime during the summer, and asking when any of the ships
of the Atlantic Fleet will be in the vicinity.

In reply I have to state that I shall take great pleasure in adding to the
ceremony of dedication in any way that I can, and will visit Camden any
day during the week ending September i, with at least eight of our large
ships and probably twelve, if that will be convenient to your Commandery
and to the town of Camden, and I shall be very glad to have as large a del-
egation of officers and men present to witness the ceremony as is practicable.

Subsequently, the inquiry was submitted to Rear-Admiral
Evans whether the regulations of the navy would allow the firing
of a salute on the part of the battleships in connection with the

20

BATTLESHIP MAINE.

unveiling of the Conway memorial. To this inquiry the follow-
ing reply, dated U. S. Flagship "Maine," Rockport, Mass., July
1 6, 1906, was received:

Replying to your letter of July 9 relative to firing a salute at Camden on
August 30, in connection with the ceremony of unveiling a memorial to
Quartermaster Conway, the Commander-in-Chief has made inquiry at the
Navy Department, and it agrees with him that a salute would be appropri-
ate ; and he directs me to inform you that he will fire a national salute of
twenty-one guns on that day, and he will arrange the details as to signals,
etc., after a consultation with you or with the committee upon his arrival at
Camden.

President Roosevelt, who was invited to be present at the
unveiling of the Conway memorial, sent a response which will
be found on another page in connection with the account of the
proceedings at the celebration on August 30.

Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte, Secretary of the Navy, was also
invited to be present. To the invitation, the Secretary made
answer, dated Navy Department, Washington, July 5, 1906, as
follows :

I am in receipt of your very kind invitation to attend the ceremonies at
Camden, Me., on August 30, in connection with the dedication of the Con-
way memorial. I am not able to say definitely that I shall be able to be
present on that occasion, but if I am in the vicinity at the time mentioned, it
will give me great pleasure to participate in the celebration as you suggest.

Subsequently the following letter was received from Secre-
tary Bonaparte :

I am in receipt of your letter of the 2d inst. and regret sincerely to be com-
pelled to say that I find it will be impossible for me to be at Camden, Me.,
the last of August, owing to the review which is to take place at Oyster Bay
the first of September.

Rear-Admiral Evans, to an invitation to make an address in
connection with the services at Camden on August 30, sent the
following response dated U. S. Flagship <* Maine," Navy Yard,
N'ew York, June 28, 1906 :

dmiral Evans is in receipt of your letter of the 25th inst., stating that
. -gust 30 had been definitely fixed as the date on which the celebration at

21

Camden will occur. The squadron of eight battleships, and probably six
destroyers, will be there on that date, and Admiral Evans will be pleased to
attend the ceremonies, together with other officers.

He desires me to say, however, that he does not consider it an occasion
on which he should make a speech ; that he thinks his presence there, with
the fleet, will be sufficient, as far as the naval part of the ceremonies are
concerned, and that the speech-making may more appropriately be done by
the prominent men of Maine.

Rear-Admiral Albert S. Barker (retired), wrote to the
Recorder of the Maine Commandery, August 19, 1906, as
follows :

I note that there is to be a celebration in honor of William Conway, who
at the beginning of the Civil War refused to haul down the flag at Pensacola.

I was attached to the frigate "Mississippi," on blockading duty in the
Gulf of Mexico, and was present when the commendatory letter from the
Navy Department to Conway was read in the presence of the officers and
crew of that vessel. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Conway was enthu-
siastically cheered. I have been under the impression that the medal was
presented at the same time, but I am not sure of this. Unfortunately my
diary was lost in the "Mississippi" when that vessel was destroyed in the
Port Hudson fight.

The Admiral of the Navy, George Dewey, was one of the officers of the
" Mississippi," and must have been present at the time referred to, his rank
being that of master, corresponding to the present rank of junior lieutenant ;
but in those days the master navigated the ship.

Conway was our signal quartermaster, who under the master had charge
of the navigation stores. ■ Dewey used to say that it was more difficult to get
those stores for use than it would be if Conway owned them himself.

Conway was very modest in speaking of the Pensacola incident, but he
declared that if, when he refused to haul down the flag, there were any tears
in his eyes, as the newspapers claimed, it was not because he was so affected
sentimentally, but because he was mad or had a cold.

Rear-Admiral Henry Erben (retired) was stationed at the Pensacola Navy
Yard at the outbreak of the war, and I have often heard him tell of a knock-
down fight he had with one of the southern officers.

When I hauled down my flag on the thirty-first of March, a year and a half
ago nearly, I mentioned the Conway case in a short address which I made
to the crew of the " Kearsarge." I had no idea then that a monument would
be erected to the old sailor's memory. I hope you will have a fine day for
the ceremonies, and that a lot of blue-jackets will be present.

After the reception of this letter from Rear-Admiral Barker,
who was invited to be present at the celebration but could not

22

attend, a letter was sent to Admiral Dewey, inviting him to
honor the occasion by his presence. The following reply to this
invitation was received from the Admiral's secretary, dated at
Washington, August 15, 1906:

Admiral Dewey directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your recent
letter, and to express his very great regret at being unable to accept the
invitation you so kindly extend to him, to attend the unveiling of a memorial
in honor of William Conway, on the 30th inst.

Later Admiral Dewey was asked to add his recollections of
Conway, and he responded October 8, 1906, as follows :

It gives me very great pleasure to comply with your request for some of
my recollections of William Conway, in whose memory a celebration was
recently held by the Loyal Legion of Maine.

I first knew Conway in May, 1861, at which time I was navigating officer
of the old steam frigate "Mississippi," and he the signal quartermaster, his
duty as such placing him under my immediate orders, so that I necessarily
saw him almost constantly. He was a typical Yankee man-of-war' s-man
from Maine, tall, thin, with a nose like Wellington's, and, like all men-of-
war' s-men from that section, very intelligent.

I was present on the quarter-deck of the " Mississippi " when a beautiful
gold medal, presented by some of the citizens of California, was handed to
him by the captain in the presence of all the officers and crew. About that
time I asked Conway if he positively refused to haul down the colors when
the Pensacola Navy Yard was surrendered. He said, in a modest, quiet
way, with a touch of his cap, "I didn't refuse, sir, I said, 'I can't haul
down those colors, Mr. Renshaw,' and he excused me." And his version
of this incident was in exact accordance with what I should have expected
of Conway, who was at all times most dutiful and subordinate.

Later, when I had become executive officer of the " Mississippi," and she,
with the other vessels of Farragut's fleet, had passed the forts below New
Orleans, in April, 1862, I looked about at the other vessels and saw that
the "Hartford," "Brooklyn," "Richmond," and others were firing broad-
sides, with Old Glory at each mast-head. Day was just breaking, and as
we had been making a night attack it had not occurred to me to have the
flags hoisted. Conway was standing near me, and as he had charge of the
flags, I said, "Get our flags up quickly, Conway." He replied, "They're
up there, sir." Without waiting for instructions he had hoisted them up in
a ball, ready to be broken out at a moment's notice, thus showing more
forethought in that respect than either the captain or myself.

On a certain twenty-second of February, after the abolition of the grog
ration in the navy, I saw Conway, who had been in the habit of taking his
grog twice a day for many years. Touching his cap, he said to me, " It's a
mighty dry birthday for poor old George Washington, Mr. Dewey."

23

A letter was sent to Rear- Admiral Henry Erben (retired),
inviting him also to be present at the Conway celebration. The
following answer, dated at Jamestown, R. I., August 12, 1906,
so full of interesting reminiscences, is a valuable contribution to
our knowledge concerning the Conway incident :

I am greatly obliged to your Commandery for its invitation to be present
on the 30th inst. at the memorial service in honor of William Conway, late
quartermaster in the navy. I well remember the incidents leading up to the
event for which Conway's name is to be commemorated. It is one of the most
interesting episodes of the times from January, 1861, to the end of the war.
But little is known now of the Pensacola days, or the surrender of the navy
yard there, or of the heroism and patriotism of the bluejackets, and of Con-
way in particular.

It is a long story, too long to write, and I know that to tell it would
require more time than could be given at such a ceremony as that of August
30. I have always thought that the conduct of William Conway on that
memorable day, January 12, 1861, should have been recognized by our gov-
ernment in some fitting way. He took his life in his hands when he refused
to haul down the American flag. The order was given by an officer with a
United States commission in his pocket. He was surrounded by a crazed
crowd, made so by the surrender of the navy yard, a most important depot.
Conway was threatened to be cut down, but he still refused to haul down
the flag he had served under for years in the navy. He was put under
arrest, confined for a short time, and then sent off with the other bluejackets
to the United States ship "Supply," on which I was serving as a lieutenant.

Conway was a hero. When so many about him were disloyal, and when
it required true courage to remain loyal, he knew his duty and was not
afraid to perform it. I believe Conway will enjoy the distinction of being
the only enlisted man to have a monument erected to him alone. He
deserved it most surely. You will have Admiral Evans' fleet there to com-
memorate the event. I hardly think you will need me. Then, I think this
all should have the official endorsement of the Navy Department, and this it
has by the presence of the fleet.

The place selected for the Conway memorial in Camden is
the schoolhouse lot on the corner of School and Elm Streets, and
opposite the Congregational church. Much time was given to
the selection of a suitable boulder. The one finally chosen, as
meeting the recognized conditions, was taken from the roadside
on Ogier's Hill and hauled to its designated place on skids. Not
far from sixty horses were required in hauling the boulder to the
schoolhouse lot. Early in August, after the boulder had been

24

MOVING THE BOULDER TO THE SCHOOLHOUSE LOT.

placed in position, the ground around it was carefully graded,
and the bronze tablet, which was made by Paul E. Cabaret &
Co., New York, was affixed to the boulder. The memorial was
then covered, and so remained until the unveiling on August 30.

About one o'clock on the afternoon of the day preceding the
unveiling of the memorial, seven battleships of Admiral Evans'
fleet, viz : the " Maine," " Missouri," " Kentucky," " Kearsarge,"
" Indiana," " Iowa " and ** Alabama," anchored in the bay off the
harbor of Camden, and later came the destroyers *' Worden,"
'* Whipple," " Lawrence," " Truxton " and " McDonough." The
day was one of singular brightness and beauty, and the scene as
the battleships came up the bay, and dropped their anchors in
front of the town, was one of patriotic interest, and especially
by reason of the errand upon which they had come. The vari-
ous vessels of the fleet were soon in communication with the
town, and during the afternoon, and the next forenoon, they
were open to the inspection of visitors. Many of the citizens of
Camden, and not a few of the strangers who had already found
their way thither, availed themselves of this opportunity ; and
the launches of the ships were in constant use between the har-
bor and the visiting vessels of the North Atlantic Fleet.

Early in the evening the band of the flagship came ashore,
and gave a most enjoyable concert in front of the Bay View
House. Later, the various vessels of the fleet flashed their
powerful search-lights over the waters of the harbor, and on the
mountains back of the town. This electrical display was a very
fitting introduction to the eagerly awaited celebration of the
following day.

The morning of August 30 opened with a heavy fog, which
during the night had drifted in from the ocean. But as the day
advanced the fog gradually lifted, though it shut out the sun
during the forenoon. The town throughout was in holiday
dress. Almost every store and house was elaborately deco-
rated. Early in the day it was apparent that the celebration had
attracted a great throng of spectators. The streets were crowded
with strangers. From early morning they came in every direction,

25

making their way by team, trolley, boat or on foot. The
Camden Herald, in its excellent report of the celebration, said :
" It was the biggest crowd ever in Camden, and when the cele-
bration was at its height fully 10,000 people were on the streets."

Toward noon the fog had lifted considerably. As early as
half-past twelve one company of bluejackets from each of the
battleships had been landed. Rear- Admiral Evans and his
staff, Rear-Admiral Davis and his staff, followed ; also seven
officers from each battleship. A staff officer from the fleet had
gone over the route of the procession on the previous day, and
it was understood that it would take thirty-five minutes for the
procession to reach the Camden Trotting Park in which the lit-
erary exercises connected with the celebration were to be held.
As Admiral Evans had announced to the committee that in
order to get his fleet out of the bay before dark he would sail
promptly at four o'clock in the afternoon, it was necessary that
the procession should start at one o'clock sharp ; and the vari-
ous bodies having a part in the parade were notified to be ready
to start at that time.

The seven companies of sailors from the battleships were
drawn up on Bay View Street, and the town and corporation
officers, Governor Cobb and his staff, the officers of the fleet,
the members of the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army, were
directed to be in line on Chestnut Street, the right of both col-
umns being on Limerock Street. The band of the flagship pre-
ceded the seven companies from the battleships, and the band
from the National Home at Togus preceded the Loyal Legion,

At precisely one o'clock the band from the flagship struck up
an inspiring air, and the procession started up Limerock Street.
The town officers were in carriages, as also were the Governor
and his staff, the officers of the fleet and the members of the
Loyal Legion. The route of the procession was through Lime-
rock Street, Belmont Avenue, School, Elm, Main, Mountain,
Trim, Washington and Alden Streets to the park. A more
favorable day, both for those who were in the procession and for
the thousands who witnessed it, lining the streets on either side,

26

could not have been selected. The bluejackets were enthusi-
astically greeted all along the way, as also were the officers of
the fleet, Governor Cobb and his staff and the veterans of the
Civil War.

Just before the procession reached the park, the sun appeared
for a short time, as if to lend added brilliancy to the scene. At
the park, the sailors were drawn up in front of the grandstand
without breaking their ranks. The officers from the fleet, aside
from the two admirals and their staffs, were conducted to seats
on the grandstand, as also were the members of the Loyal
Legion and the Grand Army, together with the specially invited
guests, prominent among whom were the two nieces of William
Conway, Miss Julia Conway, of Camden, and Mrs. Louise E.
Robbins, of Thomaston. The rest of the grandstand was occu-
pied by representatives of the homes in Camden and their guests.
At the speakers' stand, which had been erected in front of the
center of the grandstand, were seated Rear-Admiral Evans and
his staff, Rear-Admiral Davis and his staff. Governor Cobb and
his staff, the officers of the town and of the Loyal Legion, also
those who were to have a part in the public service that was to
follow. In the park itself a large number of people were
assembled, occupying all the favorable places that could be
found for hearing the speakers. It was estimated that about
four thousand people were present.

At precisely quarter before two o'clock, Mr. Thomas A.
Hunt, of Camden, who had been requested to preside over the
services at the park, called the great assembly to order, and in
a clear voice, easily heard by all evidently, delivered the follow-
ing address of welcome :

ADDRESS OF WELCOME.

" Residents of Camden : — This day we feel will be marked as
one of the most important in the history of our town, and, com-
ing as it does at the beginning of the twentieth century, we
trust it presages for us a century of advancement and progress.
Never before has such a notable gathering of distinguished men

27

honored us with their presence, and to Captain Johnson, of Lib-
erty, Me., we are extremely grateful for bringing to the attention
of that noble body of men, the Loyal Legion, the heroic action,
during the Civil War, of our townsman, William Conway, whom
he has rightly styled ' A forgotten Camden hero ; ' for strange
as it may appear, Conway had been forgotten even in his native
town. As an officer of your town, it is my pleasing duty to ex-
tend, for you, to the strangers within our gates, a most hearty
welcome.

" Officers and members of the Loyal Legion of the Command-
ery of Maine, we welcome you to our town with feelings of
gratitude for the interest you have manifested in us, by present-
ing to us the tablet, which will perpetuate the memory of the
patriotic act of our townsman, and only wish we could do more
to show our appreciation of your most generous act. But
placed as this tablet is in one of the most prominent positions
in our village, where all who enter may read the inscription, and
on our school ground, where all our scholars, during the most
receptive period of youth, will unconsciously learn that inscrip-
tion, it will become a living monument to your Order ; genera-
tions yet to come will repeat the words inscribed thereon, and
the Maine Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal
Legion of the United States will not be forgotten.

" We extend our welcome to you, the Governor of our State
and staff, and would express our sincere thanks to you for being
present and assisting in this day's celebration, realizing the
many duties you have to perform, and that we are but a small
town among the many over which you preside.

"And to you, Rear-Admiral R. D. Evans, of the United
States Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet, with
Rear-Admiral C. H. Davis, your officers and men, we open our
gates and bid you welcome.

" Never before have we had the pleasure of viewing the battle-
ships anchored off our harbor, and we are to a certain extent
appalled by your presence, realizing what a small part we are of
the vast coast of the United States, which it is your duty to

28

protect, how many places you have visited, cities you have been
entertained in, and consequently the honor you confer on us by
lending us your presence here to-day We wish that your stay
could be longer so that in some way we might express to you
the gratitude and pleasure we feel, and hope that some day you
may visit us again.

" Yet, as you sail the ocean, think that from that ocean, your
home, come the showers which fall on the Camden Hills, sup-
plying her streams with water to fill the lake, that lake the res-
ervoir which furnishes the power to run her mills, making the
prosperity of our town ; that we must then remember you ; and
that we hope you may carry away some pleasant recollections of
us, bearing in mind that we are a part of New England, the
trundle-bed of freedom, 'the cradle of Liberty.'

" Again, I say, Camden bids you welcome ! "

At the close of his address of welcome, Mr. Hunt called upon
the Rev. Dr. John S, Sewall, of Bangor, Chaplain of the Loyal
Legion, to offer prayer.

*' Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to ever-
lasting thou art God. Thou hast made all things, and all things
depend upon thee.

" We therefore invoke thy blessing and thy favor this day, that
we may worthily dedicate this monument to patriotism, may
worthily commemorate the name of one who loved his country
and did his duty.

" May this memorial thus consecrated be a constant inspira-
tion, leading all who shall behold it to larger reverence for their
country and more earnest endeavors in the service of God and
man. May thy blessing rest on this town and its people.

*' Bless these veterans, scarred in many a conflict fought to
save their country.

" Bless our army and navy. May officers and men, who have
devoted themselves to the defence of their country be examples

29

of the highest integrity and honor. Protect our sailors from
the dangers of the sea, and from the worse dangers of tempta-
tion in port. And may they choose for their pilot through life
him who chose his first disciples from the men of the sea.

" May thy special favor rest upon our President and his coun-
sellors, and upon our Governor and our beloved state. And
may our land be filled with peace and our people with righteous-
ness. Amen."

Mr. Hunt then announced that a letter had been received
from the President of the United States, and that this letter
would be read by the Recorder of the Loyal Legion, Major
Henry S. Burrage, of Togus. The letter was as follows :

PRESIDENT Roosevelt's letter.

" Sir : — I wish it were in my power to be present at the time
when the erection of the Conway Memorial is to be celebrated.
As this is not possible, will you let me express, through you,
my appreciation of the action taken in erecting this memorial ?
Conway stands as typical of the best among those admirable
enlisted men of the army and navy to whom this country can
never pay too great homage. The fidelity and patriotism of the
sailor, shown under the most trying and difficult circumstances
when his commanding officers proved faithless, should be graven
on the hearts, not only of our people as a whole, but especially
upon those of our people who fill the regiments of our army and
man the ships of our navy. I again congratulate you upon thus
commemorating his sturdy loyalty."

The ringing words of this letter, giving forceful expression to
the President's hearty endorsement of this recognition of Con-
way's " fidelity and patriotism," and his equally hearty apprecia-
tion of the fidelity and patriotism of the "admirable enlisted
men of the army and navy," awakened loud and long continued
applause.

30

Governor Cobb was then introduced, and delivered the follow-
ing address :

GOVERNOR COBB's ADDRESS.

" Nearly half a century has passed since the act occurred which
this day and these ceremonies commemorate.

** Just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, William Conway,
occupying a subordinate position in the United States Navy,
refused to.lower the American colors at the command of those
whom he knew to be enemies of the Union ; and to this beauti-
ful town, his home, have come now the members of Maine's
Loyal Legion to dedicate a tablet of enduring bronze that shall
tell to later generations the story of William Conway's concep-
tion of his duty and loyalty to his country and his flag. The
citizens of Camden, animated by a praiseworthy desire to be
sharers of his fame, have made generous contribution to the
monument that shall perpetuate it, and the government of the
United States, in recognition of that spirit of patriotism which
ever was and ever will be our country's real defence, has assem-
bled here these splendid ships-of-war, a fitting tribute of honor
and respect from that navy which this man adorned and served
so well.

** And to all present the State of Maine extends a hearty and
grateful welcome. The affection of our people is the steadfast
possession of every man who went from Maine to uphold the
integrity of the Union, and the State delights to receive within
her borders the representatives of a navy in whose glorious tra-
ditions she claims and shares a heritage.

" The survivors of a great war are the keepers of its best and
tenderest memories ; and we who through their sacrifices and
the sacrifices of their fallen comrades enjoy the blessings of a
united, free and prosperous country, can well support and
applaud their efforts to preserve the name and deed of this
Maine sailor who in his country's service and in time of peril
saw only his duty and obeyed its call.

31

" The tablet dedicated here but repeats the simple lesson, ever
old, yet ever new, that patriotism, courage, sense of duty and
faithfulness to trust are qualities that have not yet made their
last appeal to American manhood and womanhood ; and that
these qualities may endure in the hearts of all our people to
increase a reverence for order and the law must be the wish of
every true lover of his country and of every believer in her
institutions and her destiny."

Governor Cobb had rightly caught the spirit of the occasion,
and as he spoke the chief magistrate of Maine admirably voiced
the interest which the people of the State manifested in the
celebration.

To Major-General J. L. Chamberlain, the most distinguished
of Maine's general officers in the Civil War, and one of the
earliest Companions of the Loyal Legion, had been assigned the
part of telling the story of William Conway's refusal to haul
down the flag at the Pensacola Navy Yard. He was introduced
by Mr. Hunt, and spoke as follows :

GENERAL CHAMBERLAIN's ADDRESS.

•' We come here to commemorate not a deed done in the body,
but an act of soul ; the refusal of a manly spirit to bend the
body to the dishonoring of his country's flag. An act, most truly
it was, and one of highest character in motive and significance.

" Yet it was well-nigh lost from current thought. On-moving
life absorbs its heroic age. The power of a great deed passes
into the strength of a people ; but too often the deed itself sinks
from thought, except in some great moment or exalted mood.

"To-day, after many years, we come to testify that time has
no power to dim the recognition of an act of lofty loyalty and
heroic courage in the nation's name ; and to set up a memorial
that passing life may take cheer, seeing what it is capable of in
' the times that try men's souls.'

"The generation around us, enjoying the deep peace and wide
prosperity of our country, and proud of her power, can know
but little of that passage of momentous peril when mad passion

32

and tumultuous strife rent the nation's heart. Nor do present
conditions permit the circumstances attending this act to be set
forth in terms realistic enough to enable all to appreciate fully
the sharpness of the test, the loftiness of the resolution which
rose to meet it.

" The story in words is simple. The scene is the United States
Navy Yard at Pensacola, one of the most important and best
appointed in the country. The day is the twelfth of January,
1 86 1, — two days after some citizens of Florida had declared
that State out of the Union. The occasion is the appearance on
that day, of two gentlemen, — one of them formerly an officer of
the United States Navy, — claiming to be commissioners of the
State of Florida, and supported by a large force of armed men,
demanding the surrender of that station with all its munitions
and belongings.

" It was a surprising demand. The United States was not at
war with the State of Florida ; and this ground was never part
of the State of Florida, but was a port and naval station of the
United States more than twenty years before Florida was made
a State of the Union, — that territory having passed by the
treaty of 1 8 1 9 directly from the sovereignty of Spain to that of
the United States.

" But the demand seems to have stupified the captain com-
manding this station. The disloyal sentiment and excitement in
that part of the country were well-known to him. Exhibitions of
it were rife within his own precincts. Warnings, moreover, and
positive orders to be vigilant for the protection of this post had
been sent to him from Washington. He paid little attention to
either facts or orders, and the hostile force was allowed to enter
the grounds without resistance, although he had a company of
faithful marines and some loyal workmen at hand ; and two
ships of war under his orders were lying within range. Upon
demand of the commissioners he at once surrendered, and
turned over to the invading force the Pensacola Navy Yard with
all its stores and munitions, and left its officers and men to be
treated as prisoners of war.

33

" The order to haul down the flag of the United States was
passed from the executive officer to the senior heutenant, — both
of them open sympathizers with the usurpers, — and came to
William Conway, a veteran quartermaster of the United States
Navy, who, receiving the order, straightened himself up in body
like his spirit, and to the face of his official superiors gave this
answer : * That is the flag of my country. I have given my
life to it. I will not haul it down ! '

" They threatened to cut him down for disobedience, but he
stood fast in his refusal. He was placed in arrest, for further
dealing. Other less noble hands were found, and the old flag
came down. The face of high noon beheld it darkened in the
dust.

" Of the officers who were actors here, the two subordinates
referred to, — a captain and a lieutenant of the navy, — speedily
entered the Confederate service ; the surrendering captain, tried
by a naval court martial for neglect of duty, disobedience of
orders and conduct unbecoming an officer, was found guilty of
all, and mildly punished by five years' suspension from command
and a public reprimand by the Secretary of the Navy.

" The court, moved by the testimony as to the conduct of
William Conway earnestly recommended to the department that
a suitable mark of official approbation be bestowed on him for
his manly and patriotic behavior. This was fittingly done in
general orders published throughout the navy. A testimonial
of admiration, with a commemorative gold medal, was also sent
to Conway by New England men in California, and was pre-
sented to him accompanied with a highly commendatory personal
letter from the Secretary of the Navy, on the quarter-deck of
the warship * Mississippi,' amidst the enthusiastic plaudits of
the whole ship's company. He continued in his station in the
navy quietly and unnoticed, as he also died, and was buried in a
soon forgotten grave in Brooklyn Navy Yard.

"It is, as I said, a simple story. The actor in it did not dream
he was a hero ; did not imagine he was to be noticed, except for
punishment for disobedience of orders. He was not acting for

34

the eyes of men, but from the behest of a manly, single soul
daring to be true amidst every circumstance dark and forbidding.

" But darkness could not hold that diamond record ; no name-
less grave hide that manhood. We behold him lifted up in
light, for the eyes of men ; radiating light, for our admiration
and inspiration. To-day, the man and his flag stand on high
together. Dear as he held it, it holds him to-day.

" What is a flag ? It is the symbol of a faith, an authority, a
power. To be held aloft, to be seen and known, to be defended,
vindicated, followed, borne forward, in the name and token of
its right. When the flag is that of country, and a free country,
it enfolds deeper meaning. It stands not only for a faith, but
for a covenant ; it is sacred, not only as the symbol of authority
and power, but of great trusts for human well-being, for right
and freedom, and all the sanctities of life. It is dear, not only
for what has gone out from it for protection and peace, but for
what has gone into it of toil and treasure, of precious blood and
tears, of overpassing devotion and sacrifice. It stands for the
all-comprehending social order which gives value to our work
and our life. Hence among human rights, we hold that of
country supreme. For this we reverence and love the flag and
are sensitive of its honor at the cost, if need be, of our lives.

" If we can take in the reach of this thought, we can appreci-
ate the conduct of William Conway. Note the marks of it !
Honor ; truth to trust ; keeping of faith ; loyalty to principle ;
right reason discriminating among conflicting orders ; determin-
ing the rank of pretending authorities and of his own present
duties. He could not legally have been blamed if he had
obeyed the orders of his appointed superiors still in the commis-
sion of the United States. But higher thoughts held his heart.
It was not the simple hauling down of the flag. That came
down with tender glory at every sunset. But it was the dis-
honoring of the flag, emblem of his country's honor, which he
would lend no hand to. He disobeyed orders, to obey the
greater covenant with his country ! This is what I called a
lofty loyalty.

35

" Then, too, it was heroic courage. Daring for the right, over-
ruling the commonplace of obedience to orders and the long
habit which years of discipline had made a second nature. It was
no light ordeal to encounter what he did. Around him, — except
the little band of United States marines — spiritless, paltering
shapes of men ; confronting him, overwhelming hostile forces in
impudent, insulting array ; above him, commissioned superiors
irresolute and weak, or pledged in heart to his country's enemies,
having power to cut him down for hesitating at orders, — this one
man, William Conway, born in far-away Maine, taking life from
the breath of your mountain and your sea, — this one hero of
the situation, the superior of his commissioned superiors, by the
manhood that was in him constituted the superior of the whole
motley crowd around, — he alone refusing to be the creature of
his environment, because he was the creature of his God !

"Think you we can confer honor on him ? He it is who has
done us honor, and we tell the world, tell the eternal mountains
and seas and skies that he is ours. That is our glory ; all the
rest is his.

" Most worthily has his native town set here her kindred rock
for time-enduring token. Most fittingly, the Commandery of
Maine, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States,
inscribed on an imperishable tablet this consummate loyalty.
To claim part in this remembrance, you gather here, glad dwell-
ers in this region of his birthplace, though never having seen his
form, and knowing the fashion of his face only by the radiance
of his act ; you, veterans of the costly vindication of the peo-
ple's right to be ; and you, from afar, bringing the response of
every high heart of the world.

''Drawn hither also are our potentates ; you, honored Governor,
bearing the salutation of the State ; you, makers and messengers
of the regenerated nation's peace ; and you, representing her
power, in the high command and manning of these mighty ships
of war, to whom especially is committed the honor of the flag
on all seas and stations, bringing here your young men for this
high lesson.

36

" Now aloft on every topmost pinnacle runs for this token the
reverenced, redeemed old flag ; and the authority, the dignity,
the majesty of the United States of America voices in the
thunder of her guns of power what she accounts the man who,
alone, amidst the threatening, the fearing, the forsaking, the
surrendering, stood for her honor I "

The last speaker was Acting-Master John O. Johnson, whose
paper read before the Loyal Legion, December 6, 1905, first
called the attention of the Commandery to Camden's " Forgot-
ten Hero." At once he captured the great audience by a story,
and in a brief, but graphic address he fittingly closed the ser-
vices at the park.

CAPTAIN Johnson's address.

" While listening with profound interest to the gentlemen who
have preceded me, my thoughts have turned back to the ques-
tion propounded so long ago by the patriarch Job, ' If a man
die shall he live again ? ' That question has never yet been
answered in a manner satisfactory to all, and it never will be.
But if the question had been this : * If a man's name die, shall
it live again .? ' I think from the events taking place here to-day
that the question can be answered in a manner satisfactory to
all — that if a man's name die, it may live again.

"A little more than one year ago, the name of William Conway
was dead — dead to all intents and purposes, and not to his
country alone, but to his native town. I had known him before
the war, and the events at the Pensacola Navy Yard in 1861
had made a deep impression on my mind. But after those
events I had lost sight of him. Having written an article in
relation to the Pensacola affair for publication in the Rockland
Courier-Gazette, for the completion of my story I came to Cam-
den to learn if I could what his end had been, having no doubt
but that I should find what I required. My first disappoint-
ment was when I drove into the town past the beautiful monu-
ment bearing the names of the country's defenders, who went

37

from Camden and died in the service. I scanned these names
closely, but I did not find Conway's name among the number.
I then went into the town, and there commenced an inquiry
concerning him. To my great surprise I could find no one who
had known him, or had ever heard of him, till at length a friend
of mine, a member of Cobb Post, G. A. R., who had lived in
the town thirty-five years, and had not heard of the old sailor,
told me there was a lady named Conway living in Camden, and
kindly took me to her place. She proved to be a niece of
William Conway, and from her I learned that she and another
niece, Mrs. L. E. Robbins, of Thomaston, were all the relatives
remaining ; that the medal given to Conway was in the posses-
sion of Mrs. Robbins ; and that she had heard Conway died in
New York in 1865.

"But the name of him who was dead is very much alive to-day.
It is on the lips of every person in Camden who can speak the
English language, and it is engraven on a memorial that will
last as long as granite and bronze shall endure.

" The action taken by the Loyal Legion and the town of Cam-
den in thus honoring the name of this old hero is because he
honored the old flag. His name in turn honors us, for the
names of the Loyal Legion and the town of Camden will go
down the ages side by side with that of William Conway, thus
forming a triumvirate of loyalty to the flag of our country.

" The people of Camden builded better than they knew when
they placed the memorial boulder at the corner of a public thor-
oughfare, and in a schoolhouse yard. With the tablet in such a
position, he who runs may read, and the school children, not
only of this generation but of generations to come, will have
instilled into their young minds patriotism and loyalty to the
flag in a school of example.

"What is more thrilling than the tale of the humble but sturdy
old sailor, standing almost alone, faithful among the faithless !
When the order came to haul down the flag of his country at
the behest of a traitor disgracing the uniform of an officer in
the United States Navy, he indignantly refused, and the traitor

38

officer had to perform the dastardly deed himself. The flag
came down in disgrace, but there were loyal hearts on board
the ' Wyandotte ' and the sloop-of-war ' Supply ; ' and as they
saw the flag come down at the navy yard, up went every inch
of bunting on board of those two vessels in defiance of the dis-
graceful act. The gallant Lieutenant Slemmer of the army,
who had taken possession of Fort Pickens but two days before,
not finding any flagstaff on which to hoist a flag, hung the Stars
and Stripes out over the outer walls of the fort to show the
rebels at Pensacola that the old flag still lived ; and it continued
to live, though during four long years of terrible war it was car-
ried through fire and flood, its folds bathed in tears and blood,
till at the last it waved triumphantly over every inch of a reuni-
ted country, and from the masthead of every United States
ship, on every sea, with all the stars floating in the blue.

Over land of freedom

Float forever on ;
Emblem of a nation,

Gift of Washington.
Hail the glorious standard

Of the brave and true ;
All the stars are floating

In the blue.

" Do the younger people of this generation comprehend what
it cost in blood and in tears to keep the old flag in the air during
that long struggle for a nation's life ? In that great conflict,
three hundred thousand brave men, to keep the old flag
flying and preserve us a nation, went down in death, leaving
more than a million of widows, orphans and dependent parents
in tears. Let us honor the old flag 1 Let us all off hats when
it goes by !

Hats off !
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky ;

Hats off !
The flag is passing by.

39

Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.

Hats off !
The colors before us fly ;
But more than the flag is passing by.

Sea fights and land fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and to save the state.
Weary marches, and sinking ships ;
Cheers of victory on dying lips.

Days of plenty and days of peace ;
March of a strong land's swift increase ;
Equal justice, right and law.
Stately honor, and reverent awe.

Sign of a nation, great and strong

To ward her people from foreign wrong ;

Pride and glory and honor, all

Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off !
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums ;
And loyal hearts are beating high.

Hats off !
The flag is passing by ! ^ "

Before the two admirals and their staffs left the platform, the
gold medal, presented to Conway on the deck of the frigate
"Mississippi" in 1861, was exhibited to them and to the other
officers of the fleet.

The procession was promptly reformed, and soon, in the same
order as in the earlier part of the afternoon, was on the way to
the Conway memorial, where the unveiling followed. An
immense crowd filled the streets in the vicinity of the memorial.
Good-naturedly, as the procession approached, the crowd gave
way to the bluejackets, and they were soon halted on School
and Elm Streets. Near the memorial, the carriages of Governor
Cobb and his staff, and those of the two admirals and the other
officers of the fleet, drew up. The members of the Loyal
Legion grouped themselves in the immediate rear of the boulder.

* H. H. Bennett in Youth's Companion.

40

General John T. Richards, Commander of the Loyal Legion, in
a voice that could be heard far out in the crowd filling the
neighboring streets, read the inscription that had been placed
on the boulder, reciting Conway's heroic conduct at the Pensa-
cola Navy Yard, which the memorial commemorates.

WILLIAM CONWAY,

QUARTERMASTER U. S. NAVY,

A NATIVE OF CAMDEN,

ON DUTY AT THE PENSACOLA NAVY YARD, JANUARY 12, 1861,

WAS ORDERED TO HAUL DOWN THE AMERICAN FLAG

IN TOKEN OF SURRENDER.

HE INDIGNANTLY REFUSED.

HONORING HIS STURDY LOYALTY

THE TOWN OF CAMDEN ERECTS THIS BOULDER

TO HIS MEMORY, AND

THE MAINE COMMANDERY OF THE MILITARY ORDER

OF THE LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES

ADDS THIS TABLET.

1906.

At a signal given by General Richards at the close of the
reading of the inscription, two members of the Loyal Legion —
General Charles Hamlin, son of Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, Vice-
President of the United States, 1861-1865, holding in his hands
one of the ropes used in the unveiling, and Acting-Master John
O. Johnson, the other, — attended to the duty that had been
assigned to them, and at once the large American fiag^ which
had covered the boulder was suspended in the air above it.
Meanwhile the battleships far out in the bay were thundering
forth a national salute of twenty-one guns. No bluejacket of
our navy had ever before received such an honor.

It was now five minutes of three — five minutes ahead of the
designated time — as the officers in command of the sailors
from the fleet shouted the word of command, and the seven
companies from the battleships started down the street on their
way to the landing. At four o'clock Rear-Admiral Evans* fleet

1 This flag was made during the Civil War by Helen Philbrook, a former resident of
Camden, and had on it the same number of stars as the flag that Conway refused to haul
down.

41

was moving southward out of the bay, the new navy having paid
its highest honors to a loyal sailor of the old navy. Admiral
Evans did not leave, however, without an expression, both on
the part of the Loyal Legion and the people of Camden, appre-
ciative of all that he had done to make the celebration a worthy
one.

In front of the Bay View House, from four to five o'clock,
the band from the National Home at Togus gave a concert
which was greatly enjoyed by the people of Camden and the
visitors the celebration had assembled. Gradually, as the day
drew to a close, the crowd disappeared, and the Conway memo-
rial in the schoolhouse yard was left to tell its story of fidelity
and patriotism to the generations that are to come.

42

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